Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
| Joseph II | |
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Joseph II by Joseph Hickel
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| King of the Romans | |
| Reign | 27 March 1764 – 20 February 1790 |
| Coronation | 3 April 1764, Frankfurt |
| Predecessor | Francis I |
| Successor | Leopold II |
| Holy Roman Emperor | |
| Reign | 18 August 1765 – 20 February 1790 |
| Predecessor | Francis I |
| Successor | Leopold II |
| Archduke of Austria | |
| Reign | 18 August 1765 – 20 February 1790 |
| Predecessor | Francis I Stephen |
| Successor | Leopold VII |
| Co-monarch | Maria Theresa |
| Reign | 29 November 1780 – 20 February 1790 |
| Predecessor | Maria Theresa |
| Successor | Leopold II |
| Born | 13 March 1741 Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 20 February 1790 (aged 48) Vienna, Austria |
| Burial | Imperial Crypt, Vienna |
| Spouse | |
| Issue |
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| House | Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Father | Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Mother | Maria Theresa of Austria |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Joseph II (Joseph Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, and was the brother of Marie Antoinette. He was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the House of Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine (von Habsburg-Lothringen in German). Joseph was a proponent of enlightened absolutism; however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which eventually culminated in an ultimate failure to fully implement his programmes. He has been ranked, with Catherine the Great of Russia and Frederick the Great of Prussia, as one of the three great Enlightenment monarchs. His policies are now known as Josephinism. He died with no sons and was succeeded by his younger brother, Leopold.
Joseph was born in the midst of the early upheavals of the War of the Austrian Succession. His real education was given to him through the writings of Voltaire and the Encyclopédistes, and by the example of his contemporary (and sometimes rival) King Frederick II of Prussia. His useful training was conferred by government officials, who were directed to instruct him in the mechanical details of the administration of the numerous states composing the Austrian dominions and the Holy Roman Empire.
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